Electric signaling device for elevators.



No. 634,227. Patented Oct. 3, I899. C. G. ARMSTRONG.

ELECTRIC SIGNALING DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

(Applicltiun 510d Kay 6, 1897.)

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No. 634,227. Patented Oct. 3, I899. C. G. ARMSTRONG. ELECTRIC SIGNALING DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS. (Application filed my 6, 1897.) (No Model.)

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C. G. ARMSTRONG. ELECTRIC SIGNALING DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

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No. 634,227. Patented Oct. 3, I899. O. G. ARMSTRONG.

ELECTRIC SIGNALING DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

(Application Med May 6, 1897.) (No Model.) 4 ShaotsSheet 4.

THE Noam: PETERS co. PHOTO-L1THO., WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEicE.

CHARLES G. ARMSTRONG, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY DIREC'I AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO EARL IV. DE MOE, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC SIGNALING DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 634,227, dated October 3, 1899. Application filed May 6, 1897. Serial No. 635,286. (No model.)

To all 'w7t072t it Huey concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES G. ARM- STRONG, of Chicago, in the county of Cook; and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Signaling Devices for Elevators; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to signaling devices of that kind which is without any annuneiator or similar device on the car and in which the signal to stop at any floor is transmitted to the operator only when the car is approaching the floor from which the signal is sent.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described, and pointed out in the ap- 2o pended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showing two elevator-shafts in section with cars therein and the electrical devices and circuits embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the shaft as seen from the right-hand side of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view in end elevation of" the commutating device shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4E is a plan view of the said commutating device.

As shown in said drawings, A A indicate two elevator-cars located in elevator-shafts, and B B indicate two of the floors of the building through which the said shafts ex- 5 tend.

C 0 indicate push-buttons or circuit-clos- 'ers at the several floors of the building, of which five are shown, it being understood that the drawings illustrate two floors only of a 40 building with five floors.

D D indicate incandescent signal-lamps located in the cars A A. At the top of said shafts are located commutating devices, (indicated, as a whole, by E E,) which are cper- 4 5 ated by the elevator mechanism and by which the lamp-circuit is closed after it has been set in condition for operation by electric circuits from the several floors. The several parts of the commutator devices and other features belong to both the shafts and cars and are alike and are lettered alike in the drawings, with the exception that one of the commutating devices E is provided with a series of electrically-operating current-eontrolling switch devices, of which one only is needed for the several shafts and cars.

Referring now to the com mutating devices referred to, the same will be described in connection with the detailed illustration of Figs. 3 and i. F indicates a baseplate which sup ports the several parts of the commutating device and on which is mounted a revolving screw-shaft G, which is arranged horizontally in suitable bearings ff, which permit free rotation of the shaft, while holding it from endwise movement. Said shaft is provided with means by which it is actuated or driven from the actuating parts of the elevator, the device for this purpose herein shown consisting of a sprocket-wheel G on the said shaft, a sprocket-wheel G on a shaft H, on which the upper supporting-sheave II for the lifting-cables II is mounted, and a chain belt G passing over the sprocket-wheels G and G Said screw-shaft passes through a traveling nut I, to which is attached a transverse commutator-arm I, to the outer end of which are attached three depending contact pieces or brushes 2' i 1?, said contact pieces or brushes being alike on both ends of the brush-carrying arm. Beneath the contact-piece 't' is located a set of insulated contact strips or plates J J, arranged parallel with the shaft G, beneath thecontact-piece'i is located a series of separate insulated contact-pieces K, and beneath the contact 2' is a mercury-trough L, these several parts being duplicated at opposite sides of the shaft G, as seen in the drawings. The plates J, pieces K, and trough L are conveniently insulated by means of a single plate F, of insulating material, secured to the top of the frame F. The commutator-arm I is arranged to tilt or swing upon the screw-shaft G as a center of oscillation in such manner that either set of contact-pieces t '11 i may be engaged with or disengaged from the contact devices .I, K, and L below them, and the parts are so arranged that when one end of said arm is depressed to secure contact of its contact-pieces with said parts below them those in the opposite end of the arm will be lifted away and free from said parts, as

clearly seen in Fig. 3. The swinging or oscillation of the said arm occurs at either end of the travel of the same in either direction, and such swinging of the arm maybe accomplished. by positivelyacting mechanical means; but preferably and more conveniently it is produced by the frictional engagement of the screw-shaft with the nut in which said shaft turns. It being understood that the shaft G turns in one direction while the ele vator-car is ascendingand in the opposite di rection when the car is descending, it follows that the direction of motion of the shaft will be reversed when the car reaches the top and bottom of the shaft and that at such time of reversal the arm I will be swung or oscillated, lifting the contact-pieces at one side thereof away from the contact-pieces below them and to depress those at the other end thereof into contact with the stationary parts beneath the same. It follows, moreover, that during the upward movement of the car the contact-pieces at one end of said arm will be in operation, and during the downward movement of the car the set at the opposite end of the arm will be in operation, so that one set of contact devices in all cases will operate onlyin the upward and the other set only in the downward movement of the car.

In order to insure uniform and constant contact of the contact-pieces t' t" with the plates LI' and K, said contact-pieces are made in two parts, their extremities or hearing ends being formed by slidingpins 2' i", which slide in the tubular main parts of the contact pieces and are thrown outward by spiral springs inserted in said tubular main parts.

Before describing the electrical connections of the commutating device described it will be necessary to set forth the construction of the automatic switch devices which operate in connection therewith, and the same are constructed as follows: Two sets of switch devices are used, each set corresponding in numberwiththecontact-platesJandK. Said switch devices may be located at any desired point, but are herein shown as arranged on the base-plate F of the commutator E and as arranged opposite the contact-plates J and K, in connection with which they operate. Each of the said switch devices is made as follows:

M indicates a mercury-cup consisting of an open-topped casting containing mercury and which forms one member of a switch or contact device.

N is a pivoted switch-lever which is pivoted on a metal standard N above the level of the mercuryreceptacle and is provided with a contact-arm n, adapted to dip into the mercury in the receptacle when the end of the switch-lever which carries the same is depressed. Said lever is so weighted that the arm tends to remain in contact with the mercury by gravity. Beneath the end of the lever N, opposite to that which carries the contact-arm, is located a switch opening or setback eleetromagnet O, which acts to draw downward the end of the lever above it and to thereby lift the contact-arm out of the mercury and open the switch.

P is a pivoted detent-lever which is actuated by a switch holding or setting electromagnet Q and is adapted to engage the lever N in such manner as to hold the contact-arm out of the mercury against the action of gravity, said detent-lever tending to remain by gravity in position for locking engagement with the contact-lever, and the settingmagnet is adapted to move the detent-lever in a direction to release the switch-lever and allow the dropping or closing of theswitch. As herein shown, the dctent-lever 1 is pivoted above the lever N to a standard 1 and is provided with a depending locking-arm 1'), adapted to engage a similar arm n, which rises from the switch-lever, the main part of the said detent-lever being horizontal and having its free end beneath the setting-magnet Q, which acts to lift the detent-lcver and to thereby swing the locking-arm 17 away from the arm n and allow the latter to rise.

The electrical connections with the several parts will now be described, it being understood, in the first place, that the number of contact-plates J and K of the commutator and of the switch device equals the number of floors in the building at which the elevator-car is adapted to stop. First referring to the lighting-circuit or means by which the lighting-current is supplied to the electric lamp D of one of the elevator-cars, these parts are arranged as follows: E It are the supply and return wires from the dynamo or source of current-supplyJ The supply-wire R is provided with branch wires 0', which lead severally to the standards N of the switchlevers N, which latter are insulated from each other and from the frame by being attached to a bar F of insulating material. A wire 0" leads from each mercury-cup M to one of the contact-plates J, said mercuryeups being also insulated from the frame and from each other conveniently byattachment to a supporting-bar F of insulating material. A wire 0' connects the insulated contact-pieces 1' "Pen the commutatorarm Iwith each other. A wire 0" leads from each mercurytrough L to a main wire R which extends along the elevator-shaft to a cable that is connected with the running car and through said cable to the lamp D on the car. The return-wire R leads from the lamp through the said cable and thence back to the generator. It follows from the above that the branch conductors r, the switch-levers N, and mercurycups M, if all the switches were closed, would be in multiple are with each other. It will also be evident that when the contact-pieces it? are in contact with one of the contact-plates l, and with the mercury in the trough I, and the switch belonging to that contact-plate is closed, a circuit may be traced from the wire It through the branch 1, the standard N, le vcr N, cup M, wire 7", contactplate .1, corn tact-piece t', wire 0' contact-piece t trough L, and wires 7' and R to'the lamp. It follows that the lighting-circuit will be closed through the lamp only when one of the switches is closed and the contact-pieced in the traverse of the traveling commutator bar 1 reaches the contact-plate J, connected with the closed switch, and inasmuch as the contact-plate J and a corresponding switch de-' vice are provided for each floor the lamp will be lighted only when the switch belonging to a certain floor is set or closed and when the commutator-bar reaches the contact-plate which also belongs to the same floor. The electric connections for both lamps D and D are the same, as will be readily seen from the drawings, except that in the ease of the second commutator E a branch of the wire 0" leads from the mereury-cup'N to the corre sponding contact-plate J of said second commutator.

As before stated,- the setting-magnets Q serve to set or close the switches for the magnets are operated by battery-circuits from transmission of current to the lamp, and said the several floors of the building, said circuits being arranged as follows: T T are wires leading from the push-buttons O at the several floors to the several magnets Q at one side of the commutator, and T are similar wires leading from thepush-buttons O to the set of magnets at the opposite side of the commutator. (See Fig. 2.) \Vhere there are two or more shafts and elevators, like wires T and T will lead from the floors of each shaft to the two sets of magnets Q. In Fig. 1 the wires T are indicated by short lines opposite each iloor. From each of the magnets Q a branch wire 15 leads to a common trunk-wire T that leads to a battery T' ,that is located at any convenient point within the circuit, and from this battery T the wire T leads to the several up and down push-buttons on the various floors of the building. Hence it will be seen that when a push-button-for example, an up button 0 on the fifth floor is depressed the circuit will be closed at such point, and current will then pass from battery T bytrunk-wire T and branch wire i to the corresponding magnet Q, through such magnet to the wire T, connected to the bindingpost of the magnet, and by such wire T back to the push-button U of the fifth floor, and from said push-button current will pass by the return-conduit T back to battery T. The circuit is thereby closed through the magnet Q belonging to that floor, and the switchlever N, also belonging to that floor, is released and a circuit thereby closed from the plate J, belonging to the same floor, to the su 'iply-wire R. If the descending elevator be above the floor at which the passenger stands, the commutator-bar I will be approaching the plate J belonging to that lloor, and as soon as the contact-piece t' reaches the said plate the circuit will be complete and the lamp will be lighted in the car to notify the operator of the necessity of stopping for the passenger. The operation is exactly the same in the ascent and descent of the elevator, it being understood from what has been before stated that one set of push buttons and switch devices and the contact devices at one side of the commutator come into play in going up and that the other set of such push-bottons, switch devices, and contact devices eome into action in descending.

The restoring or set-back magnets O are intended to lift the switch-levers N, so as to open the lamp-circuits and reset the detentlevers P after the elevator-ear has passed the floor from which the signal to stop was given. The said magnets O are operated individually through circuits controlled by the commutator, said circuits being arranged as follows: U is a battery from which wires to lead to the magnets 0. Wires u it lead from said magnets to the several contact-plates K K. From the travelin contact-piece t, which acts on said plates, a wire it leads back to the battery U. It will be understood,of course, that the wires a will be arranged in a traveling cable. It follows from this arrangement of the parts that each time the contact-piece i strikes one of the plates K a circuit will be closed through the magnet O, which is connected with said plate, and when the plate K is reached belonging to a switch which is open the magnet will close or set back the switch in readiness for a subsequent operation. As the current for operating the magnets need be momentary only, the plates K have very narrow contact-faces, this construction involving a minimum use of the battery-currentand avoiding the rapid exhaustion of the battery. The said contact plate K for each floor is set somewhat in advance or at the front of the contact-plate J belonging to the same floor, so that the restoring-magnet will be operated shortly after the elevator shall have passed the floor from which the signal was given and the lightingcircuit shall have been broken.

It will be understood from the above that the electric-oircuit-elosing switches, which are operated by the push -bnttons at the floors, as above described, are not at all times in circuit with and capable of controlling the signal-lamp in the car, but that by the action of the commutator,which is operated by mechanical connection with the actuating devices of the elevator-car, the lamp-circuit can only be closed through the action of the push button at any doorway when the car is app reaching that doorway. In other words, the commutator so controls the lamp-circuit as to prevent a signal being given the conductor only when the car is approaching the floor at which the intending passenger stands, and the commutator is also arranged to automatically effect the opening or breaking of the signal-lamp circuit at that floor as soon as the car begins to move away from it. Preferably the signal-lamp circuit will be closed 4 career before the floors are reached both in ascending and descending, this result being secured by the arrangement of the set of contactplates J belonging to the rising and descending side of the commutator with relation to the starting-points of the commutator-arm. As herein shown, the plates J have relatively small spaces between them, so that each one practically covers the space which is traversed by the comm utator-arm while the car is moving from one floor to another, and the lamp-circuit will remain closed and the lamp lighted during the time the elevator is moving a distance equal to that between floors.

In a construction in which the moving part of the commutator is driven from one of the supporting-sheaves of the elevator, as in the instance illustrated, a positive movement of the commutator to correspond with the movements of the elevator-car cannot always be assured by reason of the slipping or creeping of the supporting-cables on the said sheaves. It is necessary in order to secure a proper op eration of the commutator that the traveling arm thereof should make a full stroke at each trip of the elevator-ear and be carried to the extreme end of its throw when the car reaches the limit of its movement in each direction, and to secure this result I have provided a yielding connection between the sprocketwheel G and the screw-shaft G and have arranged the gearing which actuates the said wheel in such a manner that it will carry or turn the same at each limit of the travel of the car somewhat farther than necessary for giving full stroke to the comm utator-arm. A device herein shown for affording such yielding connection of the wheel with the shaft consists of two loose collars g g, Fig. t, which are located on the shaft at opposite sides of the wheel-hub, and a coiled spring g, which surrounds the shaft and is held by a nut g on the outer end of the same, so as to exert a pressure on the outer collar tending to hold the wheel-hub and collars in frictional contact with each other, leather washers g g being preferably placed between the wheel-hub and the collars to increase the frictional hold of the parts. In this construction all lost mo tion in the actuating-gear is taken up by the turning of the wheel G on the screw-shaft after the comm utator-arm has completed its stroke, so that said arm willin all cases start in its return movement from the same point. In connection with these devices suitable stops are provided to limit the movement of the traveling nut I and the commutator-arm attached thereto, said stops being herein shown as formed by means of shoulders I l on the nut, which are adapted for contact with the corresponding shoulders g formed upon the collars g attached to the ends of the screw-shaft G.

In a prior patent, No. 499,411, granted to me on the 13th day of June, 1893, is described an elevator-signalin g system which embraces an electric lamp at each floor, a commutator device, and wires carrying lighting-cin-rent, extending from said commutating device to the lamps at the several floors, said commutating device being operated by the elevator and serving to place the lamp-circuits in condition for operation, while a switch operated from the exterior of the shaft is provided at each floor for closing the lamp-circuit at any floor at which a passenger desires to stop the car. In that device the commutating IIIGClb anism is employed to maintain the electric connections with the lamp at each floor inoperative except when the car is approaching that floor, so thatno signal-lamp can belighted except during the approach of the car to the floor at which the switch has been operated, said commutator serving to cut off the lamp-circuit as soon as the elevator-car has passed the floor at which the lamp is located. An apparatus of the kind described while effective in operation has been found unduly expensive in construction from the fact that it necessitates the running of properly-insulated lampcircuit wires from the commutating devices located at the top or bottom of the shaft to the lamp at each floor, thereby requiring as many supply and return wires properly insulated to carry dyuamocurrents as there are signal-lamps in the system, and as there are two lamps employed at each floor, one located above to signal the descending cars and one located below the floor to signal ascending cars, the number of supply and return wires required in such a case is equal to twice the number of floors served by the elevator. A system constructed in accordance with my present invention while as fully effective as that set forth in said prior patent is much cheaper to construct, inasmuch as only one signallamp is used and only one supply and return wire therefor is needed, while the wires reaching from the several floors to the switch devices are ordinary annunciator or battery wires and may be cheaply constructed. Moreover, a single signal-light in the car is equally effective for signal purposes as separate lights located in the shaft at different floors. The apparatus herein described also has the advantage of being cheaper and easier to construct and more easily kept in order than one in which dynamocurrents alone are used, it being well understood that all the contact devices, both the switches and commutator mechanism, are cheaper to construct and more easily kept in order where signaling or battery currents are used than where dynamo-currents are employed. It is to be noted, however, that in the case of all contacts carrying the lighting or dynamo current in the apparatus described mercury contacts are used, thereby preventing sparking or loss of current at the switches and insuring durability in the apparatus as well as perfeet working thereof.

I claim as my invention- 1. A signaling device for elevators comprising a plurality of electricallyoperated switches corresponding with the doors of the building, magnets for actuating said switches, electric circuits wherein said magnets are placed, circuit-closers at the individual doors for controlling passage of current through said magnets, a commutator operated by the elevator mechanism and having a plurality of contact-plates corresponding with the doors and severally in circuit with said switches, an electric lamp on the car and an electric circuit for said lamp independent of the switchactuating circuit and serving to connect said lamp with the commutator.

2. A signaling device for elevators comprising a plurality of electrically-operated switches corresponding with the floors of the building, magnets for actuating said switches, electric circuits wherein said magnets are placed, circuit-closers at the individual floors for controlling passage of current through said magnets, a commutator operated by the elevator mechanism and havin a plurality of contact-plates corresponding with the floors and severally in circuit with said switches, an electric lamp on the car and an electric circuit for said lamp independent of the switchactuating circuit, one branch of said lampcircuit having interposed therein fixed contact-plates of the commutator, and the movable arm of the commutator being adapted to complete said lamp-circuit for passage of current between said contact-plates.

3. A signaling device for elevators comprising a plurality of electrically-operated switches corresponding with the floors of the building, individual magnets for actuating said switches, electric circuits wherein said magnets are placed, circuit-closers at the individual floors for controlling passage of current through said magnets, individual magnets for operating said switches to restore the same to normal condition, a commutator operated by the elevator mechanism and having a plurality of contact-plates corresponding with the floors and severally in circuit with said switches and an electric signal on the car in circuit with said commutator.

4:. A signaling device for elevators com prising in combination a plurality of electricallyoperated switches corresponding with the floors of the building, individual magnets for actuating said switches, electric circuits wherein said magnets are placed provided with circuit controllers at the individual floors, individual magnets for restoring said switches to normal condition, a commutator operated by the elevator mechanism and having a plurality of individual contact-plates corresponding with the floors and severally in circuit with said switches, other individual contact-plates forming part of said commutator arranged in circuit with said restoringmagnets, a suitable contact-surface forming part of said commutator and adapted to be electrically connected with the individual contact-plates, traveling contact-pieces forming part of said commutator and arranged to engage said contact-plates and said contactsnrface and a signal upon the car electrically connected with said commutator.

5. A signaling device for elevators comprising an electric lamp on the car, a circuit wherein said lamp is interposed, a plurality of normally-open switches, each of which is adapted to close the lamp-circuit, settingmagnets for closing said switches, circuits wherein said setting-magnets are interposed, said last-named circuits being provided with circuit-closers at each of the floors, a commutator operated by the elevator mechanism adapted to bring said switches successively into connection with the lamp-circuit, and restoring-magnets for opening said switches.

(5. A signaling device for elevators compris ing an electric lamp on the car, a circuit leading from a lighting system or other source of current-su pply, and wherein said lamp is interposed, a plurality of normally-open switches each of which is adapted to close the lam p-circuit, setting-magnets for closing said switches, battery-circuits wherein said settin gmagnets are interposed, said battery-circuits being provided with circuit-closers at each of the floors, a commutator operated by the elevator mechanism adapted to bring said switches successively into connection with the lamp-circuit and restoring-magnets for operating said switches.

'7. A signaling device for elevators comprising an electric lamp on the car, a commutator embracinga plurality of insulated contact-plates corresponding with the floors, a connnutator-arm moved by the elevator mechanism and provided with a contact piece which journals over said contact-plates, a series of electrically-actuated normally-open switches corresponding with the doors, setting-magnets for closing said switches, electric circuits wherein said setting-magnets are interposed, said circuits leading to the several floors and being there provided with circuit-closers, and restoring-magnets for 010s ing said switches, said contact-plates and switches being arranged in multiple arc with the lamp-circuit,

8. The combination with the plurality of elevator-cars, of signaling mechanism therefor, comprising a signal-lamp on each of said cars, lampcircuits wherein said signal-lamps are interposed, a commutator for each of said cars operatively connected with the elevator mechanism of said car, a'plurality of electrically-actuated normally-open switches for said cars corresponding with the floors of the building and adapted to close the lamp-circuits in the several cars, a single set of setting-magnets for closing said switches and electric circuits wherein said closing-magnets are interposed, said circuits being provided also with circuit-closers at each of the floors.

9. A signaling device for elevators comprising an electric lamp in the car, a plurality of electrically-operated switches correspond ing with the floorsand each embracing an actuating-magnet which is controlled by a battery-circuit having a circuit-closer at one of the floors, a commutator operated by the elevator mechanism and having a plurality of contactplates also corresponding with the floors and severally in circuit with the said switches and restoring magnets for the switches controlled by the action of the said commutator.

10. A commutator for elevator-signaling devices comprising a screw-shaft, a nut engaging the same and carrying a brush-supporting arm, a series of insulated contactplates arranged parallel with the screw-shaft, a mercury-trough alsoztrranged parallel with the screw-shaft and contact-pieces on the said a-rm, one of which rests and travels upon said contact-plates and the other of which enters and moves in the mercury-trough.

11. A commutator for elevator-signaling devices comprising a rotating screw-shaft, a traveling nut thereon provided with an arm which extends in opposite directions from the shaft, a plurality of insulated contact- Hates arranged parallel with the screw-shaft at either side of the same and contact-pieces on opposite ends of said arm adapted to engage said contact-plates, said arm being so arranged that one of said contact-pieces only will be in con-tact with the contact-plates at one time, and the arm having an oscillatory movement on the screw-shaft whereby one contact-piece will be thrown into and the other thrown out of position for action on the contactplates each time the direction of rotation of the shaft is reversed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I al'lix my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 22d day of April, A. D. 1897.

CHARLES G. ARillS'lRONG.

Witnesses:

C. CLARENCE loonn. (,1,i[.- .m;| :s G. Mason. 

